TAGBILARAN CITY — Bohol has again shown why it is called the “Rice Granary of Central Visayas” after it was cited for surpassing other provinces in the region in terms of rice output.
According to a statement from the Capitol’s Effective Development Communication Unit issued Friday, the citation was based on a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department of Agriculture (DA) that were presented during Tuesday’s meeting of the Provincial Development Council (PDC) Executive Committee.
The report said rice production in the province hiked by 54.2 percent from 161,003 metric tons in 2016 to 248,314 metric tons in 2017, representing the bulk of the rice produced in the region.
The report also stated that the province took the bigger share of the rice production in Central Visayas, improving by 45 percent from 231,982 metric tons in 2016 to 335,420 metric tons in 2017.
Regional director of the DA’s office in Central Visayas, Leo Cañeda, congratulated the PDC and the provincial leadership of Governor Edgar Chatto, the regional office of the National Irrigation Administration, and the City of Tagbilaran for working hard to ensure that rice production is at the optimum level.
The reports came on the heels of rumors about rice shortages, with the National Food Authority (NFA) having problems with their stocks being distributed to authorized dealers.
Reports said 30,000 sacks of NFA rice arrived in Bohol from Cebu last Wednesday.
Rice supply in Bohol has remained stable and residents have nothing to fear, said NFA-Bohol chief, Ma. Fe Evasco.
There are enough stocks among commercial rice traders to fill the gaps left by the shortage in stocks of NFA rice, which was replenished with the arrival of new stocks last Wednesday. (Dave Albarado/PNA)
